Kneecap's headline appearance at a music festival in London will go ahead despite a member of the band being charged with a terror offence. The band is made up of Liam O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh. Mr O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18, according to Scotland Yard.

The band is due to headline Wide Awake festival at Brockwell Park in Lambeth, South London, today, but some have questioned whether Kneecap should be allowed on stage. Earlier this month, Scotland Yard said Kneecap was being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah". Kneecap have said they have "never supported" Hamas or Hezbollah, both of which are banned in the UK.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told the Express: "It is extraordinary and shameful that Wide Awake Festival, with the support of a local council, is apparently putting profit before principle by hosting a band just days after one of its members was charged with a terrorism offence."

One X user, tweeting from an account named Hannah, posted on the platform: "The only question I have today is why Lambeth Council is allowing the band Kneecap to play a gig in one of our public parks when one of their members has been charged under the terrorism act. We should all be asking Lambeth Council what the hell they are playing at."

Another asked the local authority: "In light of the terrorism charge against a member of Kneecap, will you reconsider allowing this weekend’s concert to go ahead in Brockwell Park? Many residents, particularly Jewish ones, are deeply concerned about safety and the message this sends."

A spokesperson for Lambeth Council said the festival organisers have ensured the band have agreed to abide by the terms and conditions of their booking. They said any breach of the terms and conditions would result in action being taken.

It comes after the Irish rap trio released a new song ahead of the headline performance. In an Instagram post, the band also thanked the "25,000 legends" who will be attending Friday night's performance.

The band's post read: "Well well London heads. Some day coming up. We've a brand new track landing in our WhatsApp channel at 1pm.

"Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you've any seats left. Then we're at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park London for a headline show to 25,000 legends tonight."

The Conservative Party leader has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. A number of other politicians have made the same demand.

Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.

The new song, The Recap, opens with a sample of a news report about the counter terrorism police investigation into the group, and mocks Badenoch's attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party's election loss. The song also features DJ Mozey.

In another post, the band showed a short clip of their soundcheck at the Brockwell Park festival.

It comes after Mr O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Meanwhile, the band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday, where Mr O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth.

He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding that he wanted to thank his lawyer. The rapper said: "I need to thank my lawyer. He's here tonight as well."

In video footage posted on YouTube, the band led the audience in a chant of "free Mo Chara" and joked about the police presence at the venue. Police said they were at the central London venue on Thursday evening to manage visitors to the sold-out event.

The band said on X that the event had sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. The rap trio have had gigs cancelled after the footage emerged but are still listed to headline Wide Awake.

They apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been "exploited and weaponised".

Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.